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Idaho Fish and Game

Steelhead angler nr Stanley - spring 2026 (for banner)

Upper Salmon River Steelhead Fishing Report (4-15-2026)

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Hi everyone, this is the Upper Salmon River steelhead fishing report for April 15, 2026. The data discussed in this report were primarily collected between Wednesday, April 8 and Sunday, April 12. 

Steelhead angler effort on the Upper Salmon River last week was almost exclusively observed in the uppermost areas of location code 19. Angler effort in all areas downstream of the East Fork Salmon River was minimal. Due to the lack of angler effort, we have now stopped monitoring the fishery outside of location code 19.

Catch rates remained good in location code 19, with interviewed anglers averaging 4 hours per steelhead caught. The few anglers we interviewed downstream of the East Fork did not report catching a steelhead.

USR Creel Data 04-14-2026

River conditions were good for most of last week in location code 19. During the weekend, water temperatures were in the low 40s, and the river had slightly cloudy visibility. Flows increased throughout the week but began to drop after Sunday.

USGS Gauge below YFSR 4-15-2026
Salmon River flows at USGS gage near Clayton, ID from 4/08/26 to 4/15/26.

Since April 6, only three additional PIT tagged adult steelhead were detected at the array located upstream of Salmon, ID near Elevenmile (USE). Those additional tags increased the total for the run year to 393 adult steelhead detections. The figure below shows all adult steelhead detections for the current run year through April 13.

USE array as of 4-14-2026
PIT tag detections of adult steelhead at the USE site (11 miles upstream of Salmon, ID) between 9/1/2025 and 4/13/2026.

As of Monday, April 13, the Pahsimeroi Hatchery had trapped 1,447 adipose-clipped steelhead, and the Sawtooth Hatchery had trapped 3,800 adipose-clipped steelhead. Anglers can view updated hatchery trapping numbers on the IDFG website using this link.  

This will be the last fishing report issued for the spring 2026 Upper Salmon River steelhead fishery. Updated catch rates for location code 19 will be posted next week on the IDFG website at https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/harvest, and anyone with questions regarding the fishery is encouraged to call the Salmon Regional Office at (208) 756-2271. We hope everyone enjoyed the spring season, and weekly fishing reports will resume in early October. 

Steelhead Fishing